Jeanne honestly wondered if Exusiai had used a fake identity to ss with these LGD officers before. Even though Lemuen's docuntation was perfectly valid, the officer at the checkpoint hadn't believed her and insisted on calling the LGD headquarters before finally allowing them through.
"I am truly sorry for the trouble. But to be honest, you and Exusiai look so much alike that it's hard to tell the difference between you two sisters without a very close look."
Perhaps knowing that Lemuen was Exusiai's older sister, the LGD mbers on duty beca notably more enthusiastic and warm in their attitude toward Jeanne and Lemuen once their identities were confird.
However, this over-enthusiasm gave Lemuen a sense of déjà vu, though she couldn't quite place where she had seen that look before.
"It's no problem. If anything, I should thank you for looking after my sister. She's... quite lively and has been restless since she was a child. She hasn't changed a bit as an adult, so she might cause so trouble..."
Jeanne watched Lemuen's bashful expression in silence, her mind filling with an infinite number of complaints she didn't know where to vent.
Is your sister's personality really just "a bit lively"? Based on those legendary achievents you ntioned, "lively" is a massive understatent!
The person across from them also wore a sowhat awkward expression, montarily unsure of how to respond. They could only laugh and brush the topic aside.
"Well then, I wish you two a pleasant stay in Lungn! However, please rember—under no circumstances should you wander near the slums. Your sister had a bit of an unpleasant run-in with the gangs there, and it might spill over to you."
The officer recalled that Exusiai was currently assisting an investigation because of a fight with the slum gangs. If the older sister wandered into that territory and was spotted, the consequences would be unthinkable. However, they didn't tell Lemuen exactly what had happened; such matters were best left for Exusiai to explain.
"Thank you for your hard work. We'll be heading in now!"
Lemuen hopped back into the car and bid them farewell. Then, with a roar of the engine, the vehicle vanished from the LGD mbers' sight in a flash.
"That driving style... she really is Exusiai's sister! I just hope they control their speed once they hit the city center... If Ch'en Sir catches them, she might end up joining her sister in the cells."
The LGD officer watched the car disappear, wiping non-existent cold sweat from her forehead as she spoke to her colleague. She had a feeling that these two "older sisters" she had just let in were not exactly peaceful souls. The LGD might be gaining two more regular guests... she hoped it was just her imagination.
"I'd say they're about the sa. That sister looks like an upgraded version of Exusiai... Why does Laterano insist on putting those two together? I wouldn't be surprised if those sisters blew up Lungn one of these days."
The colleague beside her thought for a mont and shared his opinion. Either way, he felt this older sister was no saint either.
The officer felt a chill. If Lemuen and her companion really caused trouble, would the bonus for the person who let them into the city be docked? She hoped she was overthinking it; she needed that bonus to pay off her credit cards.
"Hum~ hum~ hummm~"
Lemuen was in a great mood. The repeated questioning by the LGD hadn't dampened her spirits at all; instead, she was humming a jaunty little tune.
"eting your sister is a good thing, but seeing you this happy makes feel like you're planning sothing. You've been abnormally excited ever since we entered Lungn."
Jeanne looked at the humming Lemuen and felt that she wasn't just happy to see her sister. The expression on Lemuen's face looked like she was plotting sothing. This look had beco increasingly obvious every day since they had committed to coming to Lungn.
"Of course! I brought that 'good stuff' with , after all! I'm very much looking forward to catching up with my sister..."
As she spoke, Lemuen's eyes glanced toward the back seat of the car. This made Jeanne, who was currently sitting there, feel a bit strange.
Is there sothing hidden under the seat? I've been sitting here for ages and didn't feel anything wrong. Besides, the inspectors didn't find anything in the car.
Just then, Jeanne felt sothing in a very inconspicuous corner under the seat. When she pressed down firmly, the seat beside her suddenly popped open!
Jeanne was stunned. When Laterano gave her this car, they never ntioned it had hidden compartnts! Looking inside—well, well. Lemuen's guns were all hidden in there! This included so live ammunition that was strictly prohibited...
Jeanne lowered that seat and reached toward the spot where she had been sitting, expertly finding the sa chanism and pressing it to open her own seat.
Inside was her precious Revolving Cannon! No wonder she hadn't seen Lemuen carrying any firearms; they were hidden right here. It also made sense why, when Jeanne had asked earlier, Lemuen had confidently said she'd found a "safe way" to transport them. It turned out this was her "safe" thod.
"Don't you think you should explain to why, after a few days, the back seats of this car have turned into a smuggling compartnt?"
Jeanne restored the seat to its original state and looked at Lemuen in the front seat with a "gentle" expression. If she hadn't asked, who knows how long this woman would have kept her in the dark?
"Oh, that... rember when I ntioned I ran into a shady rchant? To keep from reporting him for scamming , he offered to secretly modify the car for free. You know how strict Lungn is with Sankta firearms, right?"
Jeanne recalled hearing her mutter sothing like that in a daze, but she hadn't paid attention at the ti, and between the Talulah incident and everything else, she had forgotten. No wonder Lemuen looked happy even while claiming she'd been scamd; she had received "hidden services" as compensation!
"You know Lungn is strict, yet you still put a Revolving Cannon in the car? If we get caught by the LGD, not only will we be unable to escape, but this gun won't escape either."
Jeanne silently calculated how many years they'd get if these six guns were found in Lungn... that Revolving Cannon alone would probably get them labeled as terrorists. Thinking about how she might be branded as a dangerous criminal's accomplice or end up on a Lungn wanted list without having done anything, Jeanne felt from the bottom of her heart that... it wasn't actually that big of a deal.
More importantly, those were real guns! If Lemuen forgot to take out the magazine and the car hit a bump, what if it fired a burst right into Jeanne's backside?
"Next ti you do sothing like this, can you tell in advance? These sudden surprises are bad for my heart—though I'm not even sure if I can get heart disease anymore."
"Don't worry, don't worry! I just got distracted and forgot to tell you. I thought it wasn't a huge deal at the ti, so I put it in the back of my mind."
Jeanne begrudgingly accepted Lemuen's explanation. However, still feeling uneasy about a potential "surprise" burst of fire from below, she decided to sit directly on top of the hidden Revolving Cannon.
Then she suddenly rembered: even though this thing looked like a gun, it wasn't a firearm in the traditional sense; it was a staff in the shape of a gun. It was impossible for it to misfire on its own because there were no Originium Arts controlling it to fire.
"We're here. The Shimring Vigil is in this building. Though, those old fogies didn't tell which specific room it's in."
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